UK gives back Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius but maintains key US base
Britain has said it would hand a remote Indian Ocean archipelago over to Mauritius after they reached a deal that the UK said was aimed at securing a key military base there that it shares with the United States.
The UK has been under pressure for decades to give up the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a former colony.
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said the agreement, which came after about two years of negotiations, showed how a small country can "win justice against major powers."
"Today, 56 years after our independence, our decolonization is complete. Now our national anthem can sound out even louder across our territory," he added.
Since its independence in 1968, Mauritius has claimed the archipelago and has garnered increased international support.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion that Britain should hand over the remote islands.
The same year, the UN General Assembly also passed a resolution urging the UK to "withdraw its colonial administration."
Britain's foreign ministry said without the Thursday agreement, "the long-term, secure operation" of the military base on Diego Garcia Island, which plays a key role for US operations in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, would be under threat, including through legal challenges posed by international courts.
"Today's agreement secures this vital military base for the future," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
According to a joint British-Mauritian statement, the base, which was leased by the UK to the US, would remain open on an "initial" 99-year lease.
US President Joe Biden described the agreement as “historic”, praising the continuation of the base on Diego Garcia which was notably used during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
As part of the deal, which is still subject to the finalization of a treaty, the UK will provide a "package of financial support" to Mauritius.
The treaty could reportedly pave the way for the return of Chagos islanders, who were expelled by the UK in the 1970s as the military base was developed.
However, resettlement looks unlikely, with Diego Garcia possibly the only habitable island remaining off-limits as part of the deal.
Chagossian Voices, a group representing islanders who were forced to live in exile, including in the UK, said it was excluded from the talks.
"The views of Chagossians, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, have been consistently and deliberately ignored and we demand full inclusion in the drafting of the treaty," it added.
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